2024 County Report for West Sutherland

Ian M. Evans and Gwen Richards

Given the fickle weather, this has been quite an accomplishing year.  Assynt field work was focussed on completing the survey of the lower parts of Quinag, with 645 records from 6 monads.  We also recorded the valley of the River Loanan south of Inchnadamph, with 948 records from 8 monads.  Local Nature Conservation Sites and other areas of interest in the parish contributed a further 677 records from 11 monads.

Further afield, a ninth season of two week-long visits to Tongue on the north coast yielded over 2220 records from 31 monads.  The literal highpoint was accessing the summit ridge of Ben Loyal by Argocat, courtesy of Wildland.  There was impressive regeneration of Betula nana (Dwarf Birch) on the way up and we logged a good range of montane species.

On another day we able to pinpoint the Sorbus rupicola (Rock Whitebeam) in sea-cliff woodland on the Kyle of Tongue, the first time it has been seen this century.  Our thanks as always to Gordon Rothero and Ro Scott for their contributions.

Records of particular interest include Trichophorum × foersteri (Hybrid Deergrass) in both Assynt and Tongue, accompanied by T. cespitosum (Northern Deergrass) at the same site in Assynt.  The very rare smut Anthracoidea scirpi was noted on the T. × foersteri at Tongue.

However, pride of place must go to the four hybrid orchids photographed by Philip Smith at Durness on 21st July, confirmed by Richard Bateman, which included the first British and Irish record of Dactylorhiza viridis × Gymnadenia densiflora (Frog Orchid × Marsh Fragrant-orchid).